Intern Spotlight: Elizabeth Murray, Social Media Intern at Human Rights USA

Elizabeth Murray is a rising junior at Franklin & Marshall College working towards a major in government and a minor in women's and gender studies. Elizabeth plans on attending law school after graduation to pursue a career in international human rights law.

What attracted you to Human Rights USA, and why did you want to intern with the organization?

As a Pre-Law student in college I wanted to intern for an organization that could help me prepare for law school, but also cared about the same human rights issues that I did. Human Rights USA was a perfect fit in that way, and I was especially impressed with the organization's dedication to gender-based issues. I'm a women's and gender studies minor, and the gendered component of the law has always been of interest to me.

What is one of your favorite moments from working with Human Rights USA this summer?

My fondest memory of working with Human Rights USA this summer has to be the fundraiser that I helped plan. As a team we worked so hard to make sure that everything would run smoothly, and when the night of the event finally arrived it was more than I could have hoped for. I got the chance to meet a group of people who had made successful careers out of human rights litigation, as well as some of Human Rights USA's previous clients. The entire evening reminded me why human rights issues have always been so important to me, and why I want to make a career out of advocating for them in the future.

If you could leave any future interns with one piece of advice, what would it be?

To take advantage of every opportunity that you're given during your internship, because the summer literally flies by! Interns at Human Rights USA have the unique opportunity to be exposed to a variety of clients, attorneys, and cases and come away with priceless first-hand experience working in a nonprofit setting. After this internship I know I'll go home having gained some the most useful tools I'll need to finish my course work and pursue a future in human rights litigation!